Teach Me, Tonight
by emmareden
Summary: RedBeauty AU: Ruby is a troubled senior who doesn't do relationships. Her relationship with Granny is rocky as Ruby recently found out more about her mother. Belle is an English teacher who Ruby, at first, enjoys flustering but will it lead to more than suggestive flirting when Belle becomes a confidant for the troubled teenager? (18 )
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, so this is an AU but I like to hope I keep parts of the characters true whilst others are completely new/fictional. Hope someone enjoys this - I'm already like 7 chapters in because I'm enjoying writing it so much lol. As soon as I get likes/reviews I'll start posting the next chapters ;)**

Chapter 1.

Ruby yawned as she threw her bag onto her desk. _Senior year_, she thought. Then she was out of this shit hole. She lent back on her chair and placed her feet on the table as she looked around. Same old kids, nobody really worth her time. She was only here because Granny insisted. She rather preferred the time she spent working at the diner than the time at school, but apparently that wasn't enough for her. Granny said she should be more, go further, extend the bounds of…something rather. She couldn't remember.

All she knew was school was crap and there was nothing she'd missed over the break. Nothing good about this place. Then a soft 'ahem' forced her to open her eyes. Oh yeah, she thought, maybe she'd been wrong.

"Yo, Miss French, good break?" she grinned.

The English teacher sighed and hit Ruby's feet with her binder, "Feet off the table, Ruby. And how many times do I have to tell you you're going to break your neck if you keep leaning back on that chair?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ruby muttered as she swung her chair back onto all fours.

Still, she'd forgotten that being back at school would mean seeing more of the beautiful English teacher. She saw her at the diner sometimes, but not every day. If it was possible, she'd only got hotter over the break. Ruby bit back a smile as the woman spoke quietly to the class. Even though her voice was soft, she somehow kept the attention of the class. Something to do with the passion she had for what she was doing, Ruby figured, wondering what it must be like to be passionate about something like that.

The bell rang all too soon. She spent the rest of the day dragging her feet around from class to class.

* * *

"Damn, you're good at that, you know."

Ruby shrugged, searching the floor her clothes, "I know. I gotta go."

"Do I get your number this time?"

Ruby pulled her jeans on and slipped her shirt over her head, "You know the answer to that," she muttered before slipping out of the door.

* * *

"Late, Ruby," Miss French commented as the young woman rushed in.

"I know, you see there I was driving along. Totally innocent, right?" Ruby explained, a smile playing on her lips, "And this dog runs out in front of me so I'm like bam! Screech. I break. I can't hit a dog, Miss French, not even to be on time to my favourite class. So I get out of the car and – "

"Sit down," Miss French rolled her eyes, albeit Ruby's stories were always entertaining but she did have a class to teach, "Just don't make it a habit."

"What, the uh being late or saving dogs? Cause if I see a dog that needs help – "

"Ruby!" the teacher spoke sharply.

Ruby shrugged, smirking.

"You will do this assignment in partners – "

"Partners?" Ruby echoed.

Miss French stopped, looking at her, "Yes, partners," she took a breath to continue, "It will be worth twenty per cent of your grade for the year."

Ruby frowned, tuning her teacher out until she finished her speech. Uncharacteristically, she rose her hand.

"Yes, Ruby?"

"I don't do partners," Ruby explained.

"Could have fooled me," another student snickered.

Ruby turned around and glared at the girl in the back of the classroom, "You say somethin'?"

She shrugged.

"Can't I just do the assignment by myself?" Ruby turned back to the teacher.

"No," Miss French said, "Part of the criteria refers to how you work with others."

"Well, I can already tell you, I don't work well with others, give me a zero for that and I'll make up for it with the rest," Ruby asked.

"Ruby, this is not up for negotiation," Miss French said firmly, "You will work in a partnership."

Ruby growled and sunk low in her seat, sulking until the bell rung.

* * *

"Doesn't work with others… unless it's in the bedroom."

A couple of students laughed as they rushed past Ruby.

Ruby sighed as she reached her locker and threw it open. It was her own fault; she knew that, she got herself into these stupid messes.

"Ruby!"

She turned; oh shit. Talking of messes.

"Aurora, sup?"

Aurora clutched her books to her chest, "Well, um, you never called."

Ruby nodded, "Yeah, I didn't have your number," she said distractedly.

"Oh!" Aurora exclaimed, "I thought I gave it to you. Maybe I can have yours, maybe we could go – "

"No," Ruby sighed, "Aurora, just…no."

"But I thought – "

"You thought wrong," Ruby snapped before sighing, "Look, I'm sorry. Just go find someone else, okay? Trust me."

She bit her tongue as she walked away, forcing herself not to look back at the hurt look on the other woman's face. She knew she shouldn't have hooked up with Aurora of all people; she wasn't a hook up kinda chick, she was too nice. She deserved more than…Ruby.

* * *

"You think you can just sleep with whoever you like and then cast them off?" Mulan hissed at Ruby.

Ruby swore, "Look, Mulan, I said I'm sorry, I thought she knew the deal – "

"You mean, you thought she was like the rest of the girls you sleep with."

This should be a private conversation but then it wouldn't be high school. The cafeteria had seemed as good a place as any for Mulan to come to her friend's defence.

"Yeah, I guess so," Ruby spat back, pushing past Mulan but the other woman was determined, cutting her off.

"If you ever come anywhere near her again – "

"Trust me, I won't," Ruby said squarely.

"Right, you've moved on. How many times, Ruby? Probably the whole damn rabbit hole has seen your – "

A fist in the mouth usually stops a sentence pretty fast and this was no exception. Ruby shook her fist; damn, she always forgot how much that hurt. A dazed Mulan regained her footing and all of a sudden, Ruby didn't care about the pain in her fist and she hit her again.

"Ruby, stop," a small but commanding voice sounded from behind her.

She turned to see the English teacher, a stern look on her face.

"Fuck," she swore and followed her out.

* * *

"I thought you might have matured this year, but first day and you've already got into a fight."

Ruby sighed before her eyes lit up and she leaned forward, "Oh, well, Miss French, I have matured. Did you know I'm eighteen now? Totally legal," she winked.

Miss French rolled her eyes, not smiling, "Would you just be serious for once?"

"Since when do you get give lectures anyway, shouldn't I be talking to – "

They arrived at the coordinators office, where the English teacher tapped a nail against the new sign with her name on it.

"Oh," Ruby frowned, "You're coordinator now? Promotion?"

"It would seem that way," Miss French confirmed.

Ruby shrugged, "Ah, well better you than that bitch prick Mr Gol – "

"Ruby!" Miss French snapped, "You really need to learn when to bite your tongue. It's going to get you into serious trouble one day."

"Yeah, yeah," Ruby muttered.

"So, are you going to tell me why you felt the need to hit another student in the middle of the cafeteria?"

"Well I would, but you'd just tell me to hold my tongue again so…"

The co-ordinator sighed, "Fine. Detention for the rest of the week, you know where it is."

Ruby smiled, "Sure, the room with the kitchen and the comfy couch. Oh wait, that's home. I get the two confused sometimes," she stood up, "I'll try be there."

Miss French fixed her with a hard stare, "Ruby, if you miss a single day, I will add on a weeks' detention."

"Damn, you got strict over the break, huh?" Ruby grinned, "It suits you. I promise I'll be there, alright?"

"Good, I'll see you this afternoon."

"Hang on, you're supervising? Why didn't you say so?" she laughed as she left the office.

Miss French, Belle French, sighed as she rubbed her temples. Ruby was definitely one of the most difficult student's in her year level. She tended to keep to herself, unless she was inappropriately flirting with staff or new students. At least, Belle assumed she was flirting with other staff. She'd never made too much of a deal out of it; the young woman was harmless really, there was no need to get her into unnecessary trouble.

Still, she had hoped that there would be an improvement to her behaviour this year but it seemed to be vain.

* * *

Ruby headed into the Rabbit Hole aching for a scotch. She headed straight to the bar to fulfil her thirst.

"Scotch, straight," she ordered.

"Can I see your ID?"

Ruby laughed, "You're new, huh?"

The girl behind the bar shrugged, "Started last week," she smiled, "Look, they might be cool with not checking but I'm not going down for it. You look like a kid."

Ruby grinned, "Yeah, yeah," she pulled out her id and handed it over, "Lucky it was my birthday last month, huh?"

The bartender handed it back, "Lucky," she smiled.

Ruby leaned on the counter as she waited for her drink, "So, can I see your id?"

The young woman frowned, "Hm?"

"Come on, you hardly look older than me! You even old enough to work here? Maybe being all gung-ho about checking id's is your cover," Ruby theorised.

The bartender handed her drink with a laugh, "Wow, a real sceptic, huh? Name's Ashley. You a regular then?"

"Could say that, so uh – "

"Ruby! Hey!"

Ruby flinched before turning around, "Hey, Snow, sup? I thought you had uh dinner with your folks on Thursdays?"

The brunette beamed, "Mum was sick!" she said happily, "So thought I'd see if you were around."

"Sure," Ruby smiled, looking to Ashley who shrugged, "Uh, you wanna drink?"

"Well, I've got a whole bottle at my place," Snow smiled wryly.

Ruby hesitated for the briefest moment; buying time as she downed the rest of her scotch, looking around; Ashley was already serving someone else, "Sure, why not?"

"Great, let's go," Snow took Ruby's hand.

Ruby placed her empty glass on the counter and allowed herself to be pulled away until she bumped into someone. Hard.

"Jeez, watch where you're…oh shit," Ruby blinked, letting Snow's hand slip from her own.

"Ruby, what are you doing here? It's a bar…oh," Belle remembered, "You're eighteen now, right?"

Ruby nodded, "Yeah, yeah, I'm eighteen. What are you doing here?"

Belle quirked an eyebrow, "I think you should be getting to bed, it is a school night," she said pointedly.

"Rubes, she's right, let's go," Snow pulled at her friend's hand.

Belle looked at the young woman, coming to a realisation and clearing her throat awkwardly, "Just don't be late to my class tomorrow."

Ruby grinned, "Why? You miss me when I'm not there, Miss French?"

"Rubes," Snow whined, grabbing her hand again and pulled her away, "Was that some teacher? Are you gonna get in trouble?"

Ruby nodded absently, "Yeah, some teacher."

* * *

Ruby dragged her feet along the ground, yawning. She ran a hand through her hair, stopping at a fountain to splash some water on her face before pushing open the classroom door and falling into her seat quietly. The English teacher glanced at her but continued with whatever it was she saying; Ruby tuned it out as she rested her head on the desk, closing her eyes.

Belle dismissed the class as the bell rung before casting her eyes back to the student who had decided to take an hour nap during her class. She sighed and picked up a book from her desk before heading to Ruby's desk. She let the book slip out of her hands hard enough to wake the younger woman up.

Ruby groaned and ran a hand over her the back of her hair.

She squinted one eye as she rose her head from the desk, "Oh, hey."

Belle looked at her student incredulously, "Oh, hey yourself," she replied, "You know, as a teacher, if a student falls asleep during your class it's not exactly a compliment."

Ruby nodded, "Ah, sure. Well, nothing personal, Miss French."

"You didn't exactly go home to bed after I saw you last night, did you?" she should have known it was a stupid sentence to say a student like Ruby.

"Well," Ruby smirked, "I may have gone to bed…whether it was my bed…whether I slept – "

"Ruby," Belle held up a hand, "Why do you do that?"

Ruby pulled a face, "Really? You gotta ask an eighteen year old that? Damn, Miss French, that's just sad. It feels good, you know if you want, I could – "

"Way over the line, Ruby," Belle cut in sharply, before sighing in exasperation, "Don't play dumb. You know what I mean. At the very least, you're going to land yourself in some serious trouble one day."

Ruby licked her lips as she looked away, shrugging, "No law against a bit of flirting, is there?"

Belle fixed with her a stern look, "With teachers, yes."

"Whoa, who's flirting with teachers?"

"Ruby – "

"Hey, I don't waste my best material on teachers, you know. I mean, maybe if they were all as good looking as you," Ruby stood up and moved closer to the petite teacher.

Belle took a step backwards; sensing dangerous territory approaching, "Okay, you need to stop," she said firmly, taking another step back as Ruby advanced, "I'm serious, Ruby."

Ruby hung her head, but to Belle's relief, stopped her advance. In fact, Ruby took a couple of steps backwards. She moved to grab her bag and slung it over her shoulder.

"Ruby," Belle took the step forward this time, albeit cautiously, "Why do you insist on doing things like that?"

Ruby shrugged, "I gotta get to my next class," she said evasively.

"It's lunch time," Belle pointed out, "Just… tell me. Why?"

Ruby smiled half-heartedly, gave a small wave, "Gotta hit the books, Miss French, I'll catch you later."

Belle chewed her lip nervously as she packed up her things absent-mindedly. So she was the only staff member Ruby was flirting with; she hadn't counted on that. Still, she knew Ruby would never actually take anything too far. After all, she _had _backed off the moment Belle had said the word stop. In fact, she'd even looked a bit ashamed…guilty. She'd always known that the young girl was putting a façade on, but for what reason?


	2. A Hard Night

"Nah, not tonight Snow," Ruby said into her phone, listening to a whiny response from her friend; she sighed, "Cause I said so. I'm not in the mood, okay?"

With that, she hung up. She closed the fridge without getting anything out.

"You're staying in tonight?"

She turned around to see her Granny behind her, "Uh-huh, you eavesdropping?"

Granny sighed, "This is my house too, you know."

"Yeah, yeah," Ruby muttered as she made to move past her.

"And you're not hungry?" Granny noted.

"You writing up a report or something?" Ruby growled.

Granny crossed her arms, "No, it's just you usually grab something to eat and head out and I don't see you until the next day…or two."

Ruby shrugged, "So what? You want me to go out?"

"No, of course not," Granny shook her head, "Ruby…all I'm trying to say is, well, are you okay?"

Ruby laughed bitterly, "I'm just fucking peachy, Granny, as if you'd care."

She pushed past Granny and stormed to her bedroom.

Granny sighed; she didn't know what else to do with her granddaughter. Ever since Ruby had found out more about her mother's past, Granny's daughter, she had gone off the rails. Staying out all night and never letting Granny know what was going on in her life. If she'd thought this was what the truth would do to her granddaughter… but no, Ruby deserved the truth. They'd always been honest with one another.

* * *

Ruby lay on her bed, turning her stereo up before placing her hands behind her head. Damn, she thought, maybe she should've gone out with Snow. But no, Snow could be damn annoying sometimes. She was too needy. It wasn't like they were actually together, but Ruby had to keep reminding Snow of that. She should probably cast her off, she thought with a heavy sigh, before things got too messy. She'd complicated a once easy friendship and it wasn't fair to Snow.

Twenty minutes alone with her own thoughts was enough. She looked at the clock and huffed. It was probably still early enough to use the front door, not that Granny could control her, but she used the window anyway.

Kicking a stone along the footpath as she walked, she looked around. She used to love this town, she thought bitterly. It was a pretty tight community; Granny's at the centre of it. The kind of place people could come in and just say 'the usual'. It always seemed a nice concept to Ruby to have something so familiar, somewhere she belonged. Then things had changed.

Ruby shoved her hands deep in her pockets, bracing herself against the chill. She may as well head to the rabbit hole; she knew she'd end up there sooner or later. Plus it was bound to be warmer than the streets.

"Can I check your id?"

Ruby looked up to see Ashley grinning at her.

She laughed, "Scotch, straight. And I know why you want my id," she commented.

Ashley squinted at her curiously, "Yeah, why's that?"

"You've forgotten my name and that's bad customer service," Ruby smiled, "You just wanna look good to the boss."

"You lose," Ashley smiled, "Ruby, right?"

Ruby smiled widely, "Ah, good memory."

Ashley set her drink before her, "You're more memorable than most."

Ruby grinned, "Oh yeah? You get a lot of trash in here, huh?"

Ashley nodded, "Sure do," she began to wipe down the counter before settling in front of Ruby once again, "Makes me wonder what a nice high school girl is doing in here?" she quirked an eyebrow.

"Who says I'm nice?" Ruby winked.

Ashley laughed, "You're nice," she repeated, "You like to pretend you're not, but when it comes to it, you're nice."

Ruby frowned, "Is that a challenge?"

"More of an observation," Ashley offered, "Anyway, where's the girlfriend tonight?"

Ruby scowled, "I don't have a girlfriend."

"That chick you were with the other night? The real uh, perky one?"

Ruby rolled her eyes, "Just a…friend," she shrugged, "It's nothing."

Ashley nodded, "Nice. But a player. I got you pegged."

Ruby scoffed, "When do you knock off?"

"Uh," Ashley looked at her watch, "twenty minutes… why?"

"Well, why don't I meet you around back in thirty and I'll show you how…nice I can be," Ruby bounced her eyebrows, a grin playing on her lips.

Ashley's mouth opened in surprise before she mustered a reply, "You're very forward, you know."

Ruby shrugged, "So I've been told."

Ashley surveyed the girl in front of her, "Twenty minutes."

* * *

"Whoa, whoa," Ashley was enjoying herself but there was only so far she was going to go in a dark alley.

Ruby huffed as she pulled her face from Ashley's neck, "What's up?"

Ashley pushed Ruby's hand from her waist, "I'm not going to do it…here," she gestured to their surroundings.

Ruby grinned before attaching her lips to Ashley's collar bone, "I thought I was the nice one."

Ashley pushed her away, "Hey, stop. I'm not going to have sex with you in this shitty alley."

Ruby stopped, running a hand through her long hair, "Alright, where's your place?"

Ashley shrugged, "I can't…my room-mates are idiots. What about yours?"

Ruby crossed her arms in annoyance, "Can't."

"Yeah, guess you're living with your folks hey?"

Ruby blinked rapidly, "Yeah…something like that," she muttered.

"Ruby?"

Ruby looked up from her feet where she'd been kicking another stone around, "Yeah?"

"Are you pissed off?" Ashley asked.

Ruby shook her head, "Nah, 'sall good."

"Good. Cause I'm not apologising for not wanting to do it in some shitty alleyway that smells of stale beer and piss," Ashley said firmly.

Ruby looked at her, made eye contact for the first time since they left the bar, she nodded, "Yeah, it's cool. I get it."

Ashley nodded, "Alright. Well hey, my roomies are going away on the weekend, why don't you come over?"

Ruby grinned, "Yeah?"

Ashley nodded, "Sure. Hey, I can pick you up from school if you want, go to somewhere nicer than the rabit hole maybe?"

Ruby nodded, "Yeah, cool. Sounds good."

"Good," Ashley smiled, placing a hand on Ruby's cheek before kissing her on the lips, "You need a lift home?"

"Nah, it's not far," Ruby shrugged, "I'll walk. I'll just see you Friday."

"Shit," Ruby muttered as she tried to open her window. It was locked.

She huffed and climbed back down the tree, heading to the front door. Locked. She didn't have a key. She never took a key. It was late, Granny would be in bed. Still, Ruby thought, it was her own stupid fault for locking her out. Ruby stood on the front step, thinking a minute. Granny wanted her to come through the front door, so she could yell at her. She knew that.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"Ruby?" a tired Snow answered.

"Yo, you still wanna hang out?" Ruby asked more enthusiastically than she felt.

Snow yawned, "Now?" she looked at her clock, "It's past midnight. Don't you have school tomorrow?"

"Alright, alright, I'll just see you tomorrow," Ruby muttered; she didn't need another lecture.

"No, wait," Snow said quickly, "Can you come over here? Do you need me to pick you up?"

Ruby sighed in relief, "Nah, it's cool, I can get there. Just give me like half hour, alright?"

Snow smiled, "Alright, see you soon Rubes."

Ruby hung up and put her phone in her pocket. She took one last spiteful look at her house before she started walking. The streets were dead quiet at this time of night; it was kind of peaceful. Except for the occasional drunk stumbling out of the rabbit hole, the only establishment open at this time of night.

* * *

It had been over an hour since she called Snow; it was a long walk and she wasn't exactly in a rush to get there. She pulled out her phone and let Snow she was out the front. Then the two snuck quietly through the flat to Snow's room.

"You took forever, did you walk?" Snow asked as she closed the door.

"Yeah," Ruby answered.

"I would have picked you up," Snow replied.

"I like walking," Ruby shrugged, pulling her gloves off, "It's damn freezing though. I reckon it's gonna snow soon."

Snow nodded and took Ruby's hands, "You're freezing," she pulled her over to the bed.

Ruby took her usual place in it, welcoming the warmth.

"Are you going to sleep?"

Ruby hadn't even realised she'd closed her eyes until she opened them, "Shit, sorry."

"It's fine," Snow looked confused, "It's just you don't usually come over just to sleep."

Ruby blinked; it was true, "Yeah, sorry babe, I'm just…exhausted."

She sat up a little and drew Snow closer before she began nibbling on her neck. She wondered if Granny was still awake. She wondered if Ashley was still awake. She wondered what it would be like to live on her own, or even better, to leave Storybrooke behind completely. She'd thought about it; about just jumping on a bus and catching it to where-ever. Anywhere but here. She didn't know why she hadn't; not really. Maybe she still had some hope for this shit hole town.

"Ruby," Snow pushed the hand that was inching up her leg away.

Ruby came back to her senses, "Sorry," she apologised, "I know, not until you're married."

Snow smiled, "Ruby…"

"Mm?" Ruby asked as she slipped Snow's top off and began tracing her lips down her stomach.

"Are we… I mean, you call me and we do this all the time…"

Ruby groaned internally, "Snow, I don't do relationships."

"But why not?" Snow asked, "I mean, I like you. Clearly you like me. Why – "

Ruby pulled away, "I just don't. You know that."

Snow frowned, "But then, what is…this? Why did you call me tonight?"

Ruby shrugged, "It's just…sex. Well, not sex exactly cause you can't do that… but it's just…"

"But you came here and you just wanted to sleep… doesn't that mean something?"

Ruby was growling now, "It doesn't mean anything."

"But all this…you wouldn't do this if you didn't like me or care about me – "

Ruby sat on the edge of the bed now when she snapped, "Fuck, Snow. I don't like you. Sometimes I can't stand you if you wanna know the truth. I came here tonight cause my Granny locked me out and I wanted her to wake up and realise I'm not there. That I didn't ring that damn doorbell and get her help. That I can survive on my own."

Snow looked hurt, "Ruby – "

"Nah, just fuck off," Ruby stood up and pulled her shoes on, "I didn't even wanna neck you tonight. I only did it cause you wanted it."

"But I didn't," Snow claimed, "I would be happy to just lay with you but you always want to… I mean, I know why but – "

Ruby stopped and stood up, "You know why?" she asked incredulously, "Go on then, Snow. What's your theory? Some bullshit you learn in that psychology class? You go to college now and you know everything?"

"Ruby, stop shouting!" Snow stood up and put a hand on the other woman's, trying to calm her down but failing, "I don't know why exactly. I think you're just trying to please people and you think your sexuality is all you have."

Ruby glared at her, "Screw you."

Snow looked after her hopelessly as she slammed the front door after her. She picked up her phone but Ruby refused to answer.

* * *

Ruby awoke with the sun. God knows how she survived the night in that weather. At least everything felt numb. She ran a hand through her hair and tried not to shiver. What a night, she thought. Her eyelids felt as though they were lined with bricks. She'd barely had two hours sleep. The sand on the beach had turned out to be more comfortable than the bench. She looked at her clock; damn, it was still early. She lay back down and held herself tightly, trying to stop her shivering body.

"Ruby…Ruby…wake up."

Ruby squinted and turned onto her back, holding a hand up to shield her eyes from the fully risen sun.

"Oh, for fucks sake," she mumbled.

"Good morning to you too," Belle bent down next to the young woman, concerned, "Did you sleep here, Ruby?"

Ruby shrugged, "Yeah, a while. Bench wasn't so comfortable, the movies lie," she tried to smile.

Belle frowned, "Ruby, why would you sleep out here? It's freezing. Do your parents know where you are?"

Ruby's eyes flashed, "No and they don't give a shit. I wish people would stop asking me about my goddamn parents."

Belle could have kicked herself; she knew the girl lived with her Granny, "I'm sorry," she said gently, "Does your Granny know where you are?"

Ruby shrugged, "She doesn't care either."

Belle bit her lip as she sat beside Ruby, "Honey… what happened last night?"

Ruby felt the tears prick her eyes but swallowed them, "Nothing. Why are you at the beach so damn early anyway?"

"Oh, jogging," Belle smiled.

Ruby looked at her in her leggings and singlet, "Oh," she smiled, "Yeah, you look good."

Belle quirked an eyebrow, "Oh? That's all you've got this morning? You look good. Lacking the usual charm I've come to expect of you."

Ruby smiled half-heartedly, "Sorry. I'll step up my game later. I don't have English until after lunch so I'm sure I'll think of something better by then."

Belle shook her head, "Come on, I better get you to Granny's. I don't think you need to come to school today, Ruby. Just warm up and get some rest."

Ruby looked at the genuine concern in her teachers eyes, "I don't wanna go to Granny's," she muttered.

"I know," Belle said sympathetically, "But I'm sure she's worried about you."

Ruby shrugged but allowed her teacher to pull her up by the arm.

"Miss French?" Ruby stopped before they entered Granny's.

Belle stopped and looked at her, "What is it?"

Ruby diverted her eyes, "I'm really sorry about being an idiot yesterday. I was well out of line. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable or anything," she hung her head.

Belle's eyes softened; she'd never seen the girl, usually so suave and tough-acting so dejected, "Ruby, it's okay. We'll talk about it another time."

Ruby nodded meekly but refused to move.

Belle looked back at her and walked to her side, "Honey, I know your Granny. She might be a little mad, but mostly she'll be worried about you."

Ruby shrugged and followed her in, spotting her Granny straight away serving a customer. She looked up to spot them and rushed over.

"Ruby, where have you been? You look awful," she looked to Belle, wondering why she was there.

Belle stepped in, "I'm not exactly sure what happened last night, but I just came across Ruby sleeping at the beach…"

"The beach!?" Granny exclaimed, looking to her granddaughter, "Why…oh, Ruby," she pulled the younger woman into her arms, "This is not what I wanted, Ruby."

"You locked me out," Ruby finally spoke.

"I wanted you to wake me up when you got home," Granny replied.

Ruby nodded, "So you could yell at me."

"No, Ruby," Granny sighed, "So we could have a proper talk about what's going on with you. I'm worried about you and I never see you because you use your window instead of the front door."

"I'm fine," Ruby muttered.

Granny and Belle exchanged a glance.

"I'll leave you to it," Belle said quietly, "If there's anything I can do…"

Granny smiled, "Thank you for bringing her back."

Ruby only needed to look at Belle with those wide eyes to say her thanks.

"Come on, let's get you upstairs and into a hot bath, you're freezing," Granny put an arm around her granddaughters shoulder as she led them upstairs, "We can talk later."

Ruby was overcome with exhaustion the moment she closed her door. She sat on the edge of her bed, heads in her hands. She tried to fight it but the moment her head hit the pillow she couldn't deny sleep.


	3. Some Truths

Ruby ate quietly, feeling Granny's eyes on her. She was hungry and it was easy to distract herself with the soup in front of her; she hadn't eaten all day.

"Ruby," Granny's voice was softer than usual.

Ruby continued eating wordlessly.

"I'm worried about you," Granny continued when her granddaughter remained quiet, "I know you're mad at me. I just don't know how many times I can say sorry."

Ruby shrugged.

"Should I not have told you the truth? Did I do the wrong thing?"

Ruby flitted her eyes up to meet the sad one's of her grandmother and sighed, "No," she said quietly, "I would have found out eventually, right?"

Granny nodded, "Perhaps I told you too soon. Or not soon enough. I'm not sure, but I'm sorry if the way I told you has hurt you, hurt us."

Ruby shrugged, "It's not your fault, Granny," she muttered.

"Then why won't you talk to me? Like you used to? Aren't you mad at me?" Granny asked.

Ruby pushed her food away, "I don't know. I'm not mad at you, I…" she shook her head, face in her hands.

"Is there something else you're not telling me?" Granny wondered.

Ruby's silence gave the answer. All of a sudden, she stood up and pushed a hand through her hair, "Granny, I'm still pretty beat. I'm gonna head back to bed."

Granny thought about pushing her but decided against it, "Okay, I'll wake you in the morning."

* * *

Ruby closed her eyes, let the fresh air in through her nose and breathed out through her mouth. She opened her eyes. Just in time.

"Hey," she yelled, running after the blonde who had just left the bar.

Ashley turned around, "Hey, you. Couldn't wait until tomorrow, huh?" she grinned.

Ruby shrugged, "Something like that. How's work?"

Ashley quirked an eyebrow, "Oh, you know. Trash rolls in, I serve them beer, drunk trash rolls out," she shrugged, "Same old, but hey, it's money."

"Sure," Ruby nodded, "You wanna do something? I know your roomies are home, but we could, I dunno, hang out here."

"Hang out, huh? Cause the nightlife is Storybrooke is just getting started," Ashley laughed.

Ruby chewed her lip, "Yeah, I know," she kicked at the ground with her sneakers, "I mean, I guess you could come back to my place."

"Your place? Don't your folks – "

"I live with my Granny," Ruby cut in.

Ashley nodded slowly, "Right."

"Once she's out, she sleeps like a log," Ruby shrugged, "She'll be out by now," she smiled.

Ashley laughed, "Man, I can't believe you're still in high school."

Ruby's eyes darkened, "Yeah, yeah," she muttered.

"Hey, I'm teasing, babe," Ashley moved closer to the younger woman, "I kinda like it. I mean, makes me the older seductress teaching a young…well, you probably don't need much teaching," she grinned, "but you get the gist."

Ruby laughed, "Yeah, I get the gist," she murmured as she lent in, teasing for only a moment before she pressed her lips into the waiting one's of the other woman.

Ashley fought the dominance of Ruby's tongue in her mouth and as a surprise to both of them, managed to win the fight as she pinned the taller woman to the wall.

"Someone's not so aggressive tonight," Ashley murmured against Ruby's collar bone.

"Someone's not so passive tonight," Ruby shot back, arching her neck as one hand snaked around Ashley's waist.

Ashley smiled against soft skin and sucked at it until she left a mark. She didn't know what it was about Ruby, well she could take a guess as her eyes slid down to those long legs, that made her want to lose control. She traced her fingers under Ruby's shirt and felt satisfied at the sharp intake of breath above her. Then she sunk teeth back into Ruby's neck and again, was satisfied as Ruby's nails clawed at her clothing.

Ashley pulled back, slightly breathless, "What were you saying about your place?"

Ruby grinned, "You'll have to climb a tree."

"Interesting idea of foreplay," Ashley teased, "But I'm sure the benefits will be worth the…climb."

* * *

"You gotta go, man," Ruby shook the other woman's shoulder.

Ashley nodded, "Yeah, I get it. But can you not call me man after what we did last night?"

Ruby rolled her eyes, "Idiot. Get dressed," she threw a piece of clothing at Ashley.

There was a knock on the door.

"Uh, yeah I'm up Granny, I'll be – "

Too late. Granny opened the door before Ashley could even pull her shirt over her head, which she then did hurriedly.

Ruby looked from Ashley to her Granny and sighed.

"My friend was just uh leaving," was all she could think to offer.

Ashley quickly pulled her shoes on and went to open the window.

"Front door's straight down the hallway," Granny stepped aside to let the young woman pass.

"Thanks," she muttered, casting one last look at Ruby before making her escape.

Ruby crashed her head back down on the pillow, willing the situation she knew she'd created to go away.

"You went out last night, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Ruby answered.

"Why do you do that? Are you drinking? Are you doing drugs?"

Ruby groaned, "I don't do drugs, Granny."

"So you just like drinking?" Granny really was trying to understand.

"Drinking's okay," Ruby shrugged.

"And this girl…this friend…"

Ruby sat up and pulled her legs to her chest, "Granny… " she sighed, "Oh come on, you might be old but you're not blind."

"No, I'm not," Granny agreed, "You like girls, I know that. I don't care about that, Ruby. But this girl, I've never seen her before and now you're…"

"It's called sex, Granny," Ruby said sharply, instantly feeling a wave of guilt wash over her. Granny really was just trying to care for her.

"You're young and anyway, I thought maybe you and Snow…you spend a lot of time together, I just assumed…"

Ruby hung her head, "Yeah, sometimes," she muttered, "I don't want to talk about this, okay?"

"No, not okay," Granny put her foot down, "I know you don't but something is going on with you and we need to talk about it. You could get yourself in trouble and walking the streets at all hours of the morning – "

"It's Storybrooke, not New York, Granny."

"Well, not everyone in Storybrooke is a nice person," Granny commented, "I just…I need to know what you're feeling, what you're thinking so I can help you."

Ruby shrugged, "I don't need help," she scrambled out of bed and pulled her jeans on, "I gotta get to school anyway. We'll talk later, kay?"

Granny couldn't even fit in a reply before her granddaughter had fled the apartment.

* * *

Ruby couldn't remember the last time she'd cried. She really, really hated crying. In an effort to stop herself, she slammed her fist against the cubicle wall. The pain in her fist felt better than the water in her eyes.

"Hey, you okay in there?"

Ruby swore under her breath.

"Fine, thanks," she answered.

She waited until she heard the footsteps leave and the door close. She sunk down against the wall, deflated. She gritted her teeth but it seemed nothing would stop the flow of tears down her cheeks.

Belle frowned at Ruby's empty seat. She couldn't help but worry about the young woman. Maybe she had just taken another day off. She hoped that was the case, that she was speaking to her Granny.

The bell rung and she dismissed her class as she packed up. There was a quiet knock on the door, she looked up to see a student standing waiting to speak to her.

"Come in," she smiled.

"It's just, there was someone crying in the girls bathroom. I asked if they were okay… I think I heard them punching the wall just before I went in. I thought I should let someone know."

Belle nodded, "Okay, thanks for letting me know."

Ruby rested her head on her knee's, her fingers tangled in her hair. She gritted her teeth when she heard the door open again. There was a knock on her cubicle door.

"Ruby?"

It was Miss French. Ugh, why did this woman keep seeing her at her worst?

Belle waited for an answer patiently.

"Ruby, come on, it's just me. Please open the door," she said softly.

Ruby shook her head, not that the teacher could see.

"Honey, it's okay," Belle spoke gently, "Whatever it is, we can find someone for you to talk to. You can talk to the counsellor or – "

"I can't," Ruby replied through gritted teeth.

"Okay, that's okay," Belle leant against the door, "I just need to know you're safe, Ruby. I'm worried about you."

Ruby swallowed the lump in her throat as she sniffed. She ground her teeth until her jaw was sore.

Belle bit her lip as she sighed, "You can talk to me, if you'd like."

"You're a teacher," Ruby mumbled.

Belle frowned, "And what, that means I'm not human?"

"No, but you just want to tell people off. Adults are just… stupid."

"I don't want to tell you off, honey," Belle was sure to stress the point, "I want to help you. I don't like seeing you feel this way."

Ruby squeezed her eyes shut, "I don't want to feel this way," she barely whispered.

"Then let someone help you, it doesn't have to be me – "

"See, you already take it back. You don't want to help me, you just say that and then you'll leave and – "

Belle could hear the crack in the other woman's voice, "No, honey. I want to help you," she said firmly, "All I meant was whoever you are comfortable with will help you. If that's me, then I will do everything I can but if it is somebody else, your Granny or anybody, then that's okay too."

Silence hung in the air for a few tense moments.

Belle sighed with relief as she heard the door unlock. She saw the young woman still on the floor, holding her knee's to her chest. She crouched down next to her and took a seat on the floor next to her. She put a hand on Ruby's back. Wordlessly, Ruby leaned her head onto the other woman's shoulder.

"It's okay, honey," Belle placed her arm around Ruby's shoulder tightly, "Let it out, sweetheart."

Ruby's tears soaked Belle's blouse until she pulled back, wiping the last of them away.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

Belle shook her head, "Don't be, it's alright," she insisted, "I guess things didn't go so well with your Granny?"

"I'm such a bitch," Ruby mumbled, "I know she wants to help me…"

Belle frowned, "Honey, you're not a bitch. Why don't you want her help?"

Ruby shrugged, "I don't know… I know she cares… but she should have told me sooner."

"Told you what?" Belle asked softly.

Ruby chewed her tongue a moment, "About my mom," she said quietly, "Granny always told me she was dead… "

Belle nodded slowly, "And she's not?"

Ruby shook her head, "She's alive. Granny decided to tell me last year… thought I was old enough to deal with it or something. I guess she was wrong."

"Why would your Granny tell you that she was dead?"

"My mom never wanted me, she just handed me over to Granny and ran away. She was on drugs, Granny says, real messed up. Still, in eighteen years, she never bothered to even send a Christmas card, I thought? So I went through this old box of cards Granny keeps when she wasn't home," she shook her head as she relived the memory, "she did send cards when I was like five…for a few years. She knew my birthday," Ruby frowned, "But then she stopped sending cards… I asked Granny about it and we had a big fight. She said she was protecting me…"

Belle had remained silent, letting the girl talk, as she obviously needed to.

"It's understandable for you to be mad about all of that," Belle acknowledged gently.

Ruby shrugged, "I…" she hesitated, "I found her address online…"

Belle studied the young woman's face, "You wrote to her?"

Ruby nodded.

"What happened, Ruby?"

"She never replied. I wrote three times but… nothing," she chewed her lip, "I didn't tell Granny I wrote her."

Belle nodded, "So…you're mad at her because she sent your mom away when you were little… and now your mom isn't replying to your letters?"

Ruby shrugged and looked away, "Maybe if she'd let me see my mom then…"

"Honey, you need to tell your Granny this. All of this anger is justified, but you love your Granny, I can see that. You need to express all these feelings to her so you can move past this."

"I've been so awful to her…"

"Because you've repressed these feelings," Belle squeezed her shoulder gently.

"I just…wanted…" she trailed off.

Belle watched the young woman patiently.

"I just wanted to feel…wanted," Ruby muttered.

"I know, sweetheart, but the things you're doing… " Belle shook her head, "You are wanted. Your Granny loves you."

"Yeah… I know," Ruby agreed, "But maybe… I'm just like my mom."

Belle frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Well, Granny says she was… always hanging around bars and drinking and doing drugs and having sex…" she cringed at the last word, feeling her cheeks heat up.

Belle didn't flinch; it didn't come as too much a surprise to her that Ruby was having sex with how flirtatious and forward she could be, "Honey, I know about the drinking and…well, I could guess about the…sex," she cleared her throat, "but are you doing drugs?"

"No," Ruby shook her head, "Never. I guess it was the last shred of … myself by not… "

"Okay," Belle wiped a tear from the other woman's cheek, "Ruby, we are not our parents. We do not have to be anyone other than who we want to be."

Ruby swallowed hard, "I don't know what I want to be. I just want to be…good."

With that, she burst into tears again and crashed her head into the smaller woman's shoulder. Belle put both arms around her student, not caring that she knew she was well over the line of her job at this point.

* * *

"I hate crying," Ruby could still feel her eyes were heated and swelled.

"Ruby," Belle sighed, "Everybody cries. It's actually healthy."

Ruby rolled her eyes, "You're such a teacher."

Belle smiled, "Is that meant to be an insult?"

Ruby returned the smile, "Well, I guess as far as teachers go, you're not so bad."

"Forever the charmer," Belle chuckled.

"Well, what I mean is, thanks for before, you know, talking to me and all," Ruby said awkwardly.

Belle nodded, "It really is okay, honey. If you ever need to talk, you can talk to me. I really mean that."

Ruby licked her lips nervously, "Thanks."

"Are you going to talk to your Granny?" Belle asked.

Ruby sighed, "I'm not sure," she admitted, "I'm still trying to decide and right now, I'm just exhausted."

Belle nodded; she hadn't expected any different, "Okay, well head on home and get some rest."

Ruby smiled, "Alright. See you."

"And Ruby?"

Ruby turned around before she left, "Yeah?"

"Please no more sleeping on the beach. It really isn't safe," she stood up, approaching the other woman, "I can trust you, can't I?"

Ruby frowned, "Yeah, sure."

She wrote something down on a piece of paper, "On here, my phone number. Now, if you have another fight with your Granny, please call me. You can't sleep on the beach or wander the streets, it's really not safe."

Ruby blinked, squinting at the paper in her hand, "You're giving me your number?"

"Only to use in an emergency," Belle said firmly, "No other time, okay? No calling me with the latest one liners, alright?"

Ruby grinned, "Okay. Man, if I knew all I had to was cry to get your number, I woulda done it weeks ago."

Belle rolled her eyes, having more insight to the false bravado the young woman embraced out of obvious insecurity, "As you would say, yeah, yeah. Now, go. Stay safe."

Ruby bit her lip and ducked her head, "Thanks, Miss French. Hey, next coffee at Granny's on the house, alright?"

* * *

It took Ruby a week before she decided to finally talk to her Granny. Granny had been tiptoeing around her; clearly she was worried but she didn't want to get in another fight. Right now, her priority was keeping Ruby at home, not scaring her off.

"You…you tracked her down?" Granny could have kicked herself for even keeping those birthday cards; it was just something she'd always done. She never even looked through them, never even thought that Ruby would think to look through them, let alone that she would try to track down the mother who hadn't wanted her.

Ruby shrugged, "Yeah. I wanted…I wanted to know why she stopped writing me those cards," she chewed her tongue, "But I guess…I already know. But… why did she have to give up so easily?" she sighed, "I know you can be damn harsh but…"

Granny looked grim, "Yes," she said quietly, "I told her to stop in no uncertain terms," she hesitated, "Ruby… ever since she left you with me, you have been my light, my life, my reason for being. My daughter, your mother…she was not a nice person. In the two weeks you were with her… she wasn't fit to look after you."

Ruby frowned, "What happened exactly? I mean, I know she left me with you, but what happened? What was the conversation, what did she say?"

Granny closed her eyes a moment, "She didn't say anything."

Ruby's frown deepened.

"I came home from the diner one day. Before I even opened the door, I could hear you crying. When I got in, there you were. On the kitchen bench in a basket. Your mother was gone, she took off, disappeared, didn't answer her phone…no trace."

Ruby nodded, "So you tried to find her?"

"Yes," Granny nodded, "For a long time, I did try to find her. But, Ruby, she was sick. An addict," she hesitated, "Before she left, she took all the savings I had hidden in the house…"

"But when she started writing me… maybe she was better?" Ruby pressed.

Granny took her granddaughters hand in her own, "Maybe she was," she agreed softly, "But you were so young and I…I was scared. I was scared she would take you away and not look after you properly… I was scared she would take off with you and I would never see you again. I was scared she would spend time with you and then take off, leaving you asking even more questions about your mother than you had already started to. That pain…at that age… I know what it's like," a single tear rolled down the older woman's cheek.

Ruby watched the sincerity in her Granny's eyes and squeezed her Granny's hand, "Okay," she whispered.

"Okay?" Granny repeated.

"I was little… I still don't know if I agree with your decision. But I do know you've always at least thought you were doing what's best for me," Ruby's forehead creased in thought, "I was angry because you didn't tell me. But with how I reacted to the bit of news you did give me…you were probably right not to…" she smiled a little.

Granny smiled, "Still…you are an adult now. Honesty from now on? From both sides?"

Ruby nodded, "Alright. That sounds good," she sighed, "I've really missed you, Granny."

Granny stood up and pulled Ruby into her arms, "I've missed you too," she whispered.

Ruby took a moment to react; Granny and her had never been particularly affectionate but she did need it right now and she hugged her Granny back tightly, lingering longer than she usually would.

Ruby lay in bed, her body finally feeling relaxed. It felt like the first time in a long while she had been able to even breathe freely. It was like a little taste of freedom. To let her thoughts wander stress-free. She thought about how glad she was to be able to speak freely with her Granny again, she thought about how liberating it was to not care about whether her mother wanted her or not, to know she was worthy. Eventually, her mind turned to Miss French. She'd been so great, Ruby thought, biting back a smile and she didn't really know why. It was more than just being a teacher, or even the year coordinator.

She'd always enjoyed flirting with Miss French, sure, but the last few weeks had been completely different. She sighed; she knew nothing could happen and she tried to deny that she even had feelings for her. But she couldn't deny that when she curled into her blanket and closed her eyes, it was a certain petite teacher's smile that flashed through the darkness.

* * *

"It's cool, I got it," Ruby rushed as Granny walked towards a new table.

Granny nodded with a smile and headed back to the kitchen.

"Hey."

Belle looked up with a small smile, "Hello, Ruby."

"What can I get you? On the house remember! So go for it – pancakes? The works?"

Belle rolled her eyes, "You don't have to do that, Ruby. Just some toast please, and a very strong coffee."

Ruby nodded, "Late night? You know you shouldn't have so much caffeine. Coffee rots your teeth too and – "

"Hey, whoa, are you the teacher now?" Belle asked with a laugh, "Not to mention, do you think your Granny would appreciate you telling your customers not to drink coffee?"

Ruby smiled sheepishly, "Good point. Not when we just got back on speaking terms and all…"

Belle grinned, "You spoke to her!? That's great."

Ruby shrugged, "Sure. It was a good talk. But I mean, it's thanks to you, you know, really."

"No, Ruby, you're the one who opened your mouth and spoke. Credit where credit's due," Belle claimed, somewhat proudly.

"Yeah, well, I guess I am pretty awesome," Ruby smiled widely.

"Ah, there it is," Belle tutted, "Glad to see you haven't changed completely."

Ruby's smile widened further, "Oh yeah?"

Belle waved a dismissive hand, "Oh, shush and get me my coffee."

Ruby laughed, "At your service, Miss French."


End file.
